OK, sorry to alienate my non-OZ readers (again), but here's an idea for a book I will never write (another one).
Its title is Brief Sydney Lives. It follows in the tradition of a book from the 17th century called Aubrey's Brief Lives. The idea is to write a brief - 500 words - pen portrait of the colourful characters from Sydney's history; and to write them with extreme prejudice and a great deal of wit and zest. The selections are to be eccentric, the writing one-eyed and biased. That is to say, this is not wikipedia we are writing now!
Who would qualify? Well, the key thing is they have to be a SYDNEY person. So, former PM Gough Whitlam in my opinion would not qualify, because his chief impact was on a national level. Likewise, Don Bradman, our most famous cricketer, who spent most of his career in South Australia would not qualify. But Victor Trumper would...
So would:
Roger Rogerson
Bea Miles
Arthur Stace
John Macarthur
Elizabeth Macarthur
William Bligh
Patrick White
Brett Whiteley
Harry Seidler
Michael Hutchence
Geoffrey Edelsten
Kerry Packer
Bob Gould
Samuel Marsden
Sallie-Ann Huckstepp
Robert Askin
Who else?
41 comments:
Alan Jones? Is he original from QLD? Even so he seems to have had a big impact on Sydney.
You could just edit the book and get others to do the work for you.
Alan Jones and John Laws would be pretty important to include...
Also, some colourful racing identities...George Freeman?
Yes: You don't have be FROM Sydney to be in it. Just shape Sydney in some way....
That is a great idea for a book Michael! Why don't you knock up one or two entries on your blog? I'm sure it would be fascinating.
Maybe Tilly Devine - the famous female gangster of the 1920s.
I noticed that it's a list heavy with vice and scandal - are nice people mostly unintersting?
Tim Freedman
Clover Moore
Bob Carr
There'd have to be some Sydney Anglicans to throw in there too?
John Marsden (the gay lawyer)
Michael, great suggestion for a book. And thanks for lots of thought provoking stuff on this blog.
Billy Wentworth.
John Faifax His legacy at the SMH apart from anything else puts him on the Sydney map.
Is Norman Lindsay disqualified because the Blue Mountains don't count?
John Dunmore Lang (http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogL.html#lang2)
Arthur Stace ("eternity" graffitist)
...its tricky. many of the people who have an impact on Sydney, have arguably been "Australian figures" which I think says something (apologies to everyone else) on the influence that Sydney has on the country. If you make an impact in Sydney, you make an impact on the nation. For example, Kerry Packer was undeniably a Sydneysider, but his impact was pretty much Australia-wide.
Maybe fair call on Packer...
Dunmore Lang was an amazing if curmudgeonly figure of Presbyterianism of course!
Clover Moore for sure!
Tim Freedman, yes.
I'd have to think about Norman Lindsay, or know more about his life and times...
Bob Ellis?
Sydney Anglicans: well, Bishop Barker and his wife have interesting tale. Archbishop Moule and TC Hammond were likewise fascinating... and of influence to. Sir Marcus Loane?
The 1890 - 1910 period throws up a lot of interesting characters with the founding of the Anglican Church League.
Well, why wouldn't you do it? Well, not necessarily you alone, but you could get a dozen or so people - even just starting with people who comments on this blog - to write a chapter or two each. I reckon it might take six months of good research to learn enough about a historic figure to write a 500 word piece, even if you didn't know much about them before. You could edit the book. People in Sydney could dig through the Mitchell library, etc. You'd have to get some legal advice about living figures (e.g. Roger Rogerson) in order to avoid libel, but a prospective publishing company could help with that. The idea sounds eminently achievable to me.
Could I put my kids through private school on it? ;-) (The dream of every Sydneysider...)
Now Michael you know that the easiest/cheapest way to put your kids through a private school is to become a presbyter.
What about
Horbury Hunt
Jack Munday
Tilly Devine
umm....you know, that's so true.
Jack M is a great choice, but I'd have to research the others.
Sandeman, you know that I am gonna ask you to write a few of these now...
I will second Jack Mundey
There would be no Rocks or Centenniel Park without him and the NSWBLF. And Sydney without the Rocks would be very different.
A genre question: I guess I have been struck by the ability of English journos to right a GREAT obituary... but would that be the right genre to invoke?
Peter Jensen?
Some others:
Baz Luhrmann
Harry M Miller
Alan Jones
Leo Schofield
Florence Broadhurst
George Piggins
Dame Leonie Kramer
Dick Smith
Anthony Hordern
Brian Houston
ahh. wow, some great choices here, and contemporary too. Brian Houston is a very good choice. And George Piggins, too. What about the original David Jones?
Oh, and I forgot: Rene Rivkin is a must have. What a typical Sydney story!
My Uncle Rudd surely.
Or if not, some other person from Jimmy Sharman's boxing tent.
Yes, I nearly put David Jones on the list. Could also go with the original Grace brothers (now obliterated by that Myer family from Melbourne!). There were others like them as well but we don't hear of them now - e.g. Mark Foy. His glamorous looking department store now houses the Local Court.
Rene Rivkin is an excellent choice.
Fred Nile?
Lachlan Macquarie? (and Mrs)
Jack Lang...
Robbie Waterhouse
Fred Nile
Oh, Jack Lang!! my goodness, he would be almost a first choice.
Fred, yes. I wonder what his lasting legacy will be, especially as there is a resurgence in interest in religion in politics...
Tommy Smith
Victor Chang
Sheik El-Hilaly?
Nifty Neville Wran
Bennelong
Great idea - Sydney is so self-obsessed, it would sell like harbour views.
Maybe the project can be advanced this way --
Any one of your readers chooses a Sydcharacter. They write one paragraph on said sydcharacter and invite comment.
Maybe a new 'YOU'. But you could call the Blog 'THEM'. Or somethin' else.
...or 'US'. (Because we like to think that we're part of the same crowd as the famous people)
I just remembered Cyril Pearl's "Wild men of Sydney" is the closest thing to what you want. It contains some great stuff on Ezra Norton and Sir Frank Packer.
David Hickie's "The Price and the Premier" on illegal casinos, Perce Galea and Robin Askin.
Both authors edited Sydney newspapers!
Ah. Sounds like there is a competitor in the field.. hmmm.
Harry M Miller?
But: what about women? Why the dearth of women?
David Marr.
Yes, I know what you mean. I came up with a couple of women in my last list, but struggled a bit for some reason. Here's another go:
Ita Buttrose
Dawn Fraser
Jodi Meares (formerly Packer)
Lady Mary Fairfax
Angela Catterns
Kerri-Ann Kennerley
Caroline Chisolm
Lucy Turnbull
Shirley Fitzgerald
Nicole Kidman (???)
Kathryn Greiner (our very own Hilary Clinton, a first lady with a political career of her own)
I'm sure there's lots more.
Fred Daly
Dorothy McRae-McMahon, perhaps?
Trivia: It's Mary Lady Fairfax not Lady Mary Fairfax. She is the widow of a knight, not the wife of a Lord.
Actually Hanne Fairfax, Sir Warwick's first wife is possibly more interesting. Did she really have an affair with a sydney anglican bishop?
well, it is an extremely small club that, I am happy to say....
ie, those who have had affairs with Sydney bishops, I mean...
Hanne Fairfax, Sir Warwick's first wife is possibly more interesting. Did she really have an affair with a sydney anglican bishop?
John?
Mei Quong Tart would be an excellent choice for such a project. Also Wentworth would have to be up there with Macarthur as a colourful identity who shaped Sydney. Thinking about moder times, perhaps also Ted Mack?
Good thinking: yes Ted Mack, or Frank Sartor. Local council politics is somehow a more interesting world than the bigger parliaments with the bigger egos.
Has anyone mentioned John singleton? Great story.
Also, does anyone know of any books on george freeman? andrew_paskin@hotmail.com
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